I have been suffering from headaches, usually in the lower back of my head. I can sometimes control them with over-the-counter migraine medications, but not always. They last up to a week at a time.

I also get sharp stabbing pains in my head. These stop me in my tracks and cause a lot of pain but only last for seconds at a time. I have had a bad headache for 6 days. I need to keep taking over-the-counter migraine medication so I can function. I have been nauseous every day now as well.

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As much as I'd love to be able to answer your question, the only person who can safely do that is a doctor who can review you and your family's medical history, discuss your symptoms with you, and conduct a complete examination.

Unexplained head pain always needs to be checked out. Statistically, it's unlikely to be anything dangerous, but we never want to be on the wrong end of those statistics.

Another issue may be the over-the-counter medications you're taking. If we take migraine abortive meds such as triptans or any kind of pain med more than 2 days a week, a big part of the problem may well be medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this.

Full Question:
my 14 year old daughter has a bulging disc in her neck... this was found via mri... i dont recall any one incident that could of caused it... but she plays a lot of sports and i mean she plays hard... steals and slides in softball and very aggressive 3rd baser... for the last 3mo she has had this horrible migraine that is constantly throbbing in the back of her head and on the sides of head but low on the sides like right above her ears.. she explains it like a tight head band only in the back of her head...no med or chiro service or iv drugs administered in er work.. the pressure and pounding never stops... could it be from the disc in her neck? Dena.
Full Answer:
Dear Dena;
Headaches that are described as a "tight band" are often tension-type headaches, not Migraine. Has a doctor diagnosed your daughter with Migraine? Patients who have disc problems should be evaluated for cervicogenic headache. You...

There is a significant amount of research and anecdotal information about the frequency with which adults with intractable headaches or migraines also experience mood disorders. The two most common mood disorders reported by patients are depression and anxiety. In fact, an article published in 2010 suggests that there may be a genetic link between depression and migraine. In her discussion of this research, Teri Robert indicates that 47% of migraineurs also experience depression. (See Migraine and Depression May Be Linked Genetically .) Other research indicates a strong relationship between anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. (See Migraine Associated with Mental Health Disorders .) This is hardly news to those of us who deal with intractable headaches and chronic migraines. Discussion forums are full of comments from men and women with intractable headaches and chronic migraines who struggle with either depression or anxiety. While we may assume the same ...

Over the last few years, long-needed evaluation of our military for Migraine and other headache disorders exacerbated or caused by event and / or circumstances of being deployed have been conducted and the results published. Additionally, more attention has been paid to head and neck trauma and traumatic brain injury (TBI). A new study shows nearly half of U.S. soldiers returning home from combat with headaches problematic enough to require specialized care also have a history of mild head trauma. Study objective: "To determine the incidence and types of head or neck trauma and headache characteristics among US Army soldiers evaluated for chronic headaches at a military neurology clinic following a combat tour in Iraq." 2 Study methods: Conducted with 81 (73 male and 8 female) U. S. Army soldiers who had served in the same brigade. All were evaluated at the same military neurology clinic for the complaint of recurrent headaches following a combat tour in Iraq ...

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